


Seven Days

by laniisms



Category: Haikyuu!!, The Ring (2002)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-08-30 19:01:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8545399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laniisms/pseuds/laniisms
Summary: There’s no answer for a minute. Instead it’s dead silent. Almost as if nothing was on the other end. Then, quietly two words are spoken before the dial tone sounds.“Seven days.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I want you to be fully aware that if you haven't seen The Ring it is indeed a horror film. If you look into it please realize that there will be graphic things in it. Hence the warning label. As it goes on I'll definitely be writing in more of the descriptions so please be warned.

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

  _NOVEMBER 4TH 2016_

* * *

 

“They say there’s a video that kills you.”

Asahi nearly drops his cup of water in surprise when Noya speaks up. His eyes dart to the boy who is hanging upside down off the side of his bed, reading a magazine.

“Why on earth would you tell me that?”

“Because I think it’s cool.”

He shrugs, his fingers turning the page. Cool was the last thing that Asahi would use to describe it. It was nothing new to his friends about how superstitious he could be. And every now and then they decided it would be fun to pull pranks on him that would leave him nearly having a cardiac arrest. He shakes his head, hair falling from the loose bun at the nape of his neck. This time he refused to be fooled. Scoffing, he decides to try and get Noya to admit he’s just trying to tease him again.

“Okay then explain how exactly a video is supposed to kill you.”

The magazine drops with a _thump_ to the carpeted floor. The smaller boy is then spinning himself up into a seated position, scooting his way to the edge of the bed.

“Well...the story goes that it’s just some creepy film. Doesn’t make much sense but you get confused watching it. Yet you’re drawn in. Then, when it ends, the phone rings and a voice says ‘in seven days, you will die’.”

A chill runs its way up Asahi’s spine sending a shiver through his body. Noya has to be kidding. There’s no way this wasn’t a joke. Shaking his head, he sighs and stands up from the floor.

“You aren’t going to get me to fall for this one, Noya. Tanaka and you pull pranks on me way too often.”

“Aw Asahi you’re no fun!”

Noya pouts at him, arms crossing over his chest. It causes the brunet to laugh as he plops himself onto his boyfriend’s bed. He wraps his arms around him and pulls him over only to place a gentle kiss to his temple.

“Maybe you’ll think about that before trying to prank me again with something spooky like that.”

There’s a small grumble from Noya before he shifts to move up the bed and lays himself down. Asahi takes a moment to let him settle before laying beside him. His head finds its way to Noya’s shoulder, his nose pressed into the crook of his neck. In seconds the elastic in his hair is taken out and nimble fingers are running through it. It’s silent for a while before they both end up sound asleep in each others embrace.

* * *

 

_NOVEMBER 5TH, 2016_

* * *

 

**TWO FORMER STUDENTS OF KARASUNO HIGH SCHOOL DEAD**

_Last night former students Kurokawa Hiroki and Hidemi Tashiro were found dead on opposites sides of town. The two former volleyball player’s deaths don’t seem to be connected at this time. It would appear Kurokawa rolled his car into a ditch during the rainstorm, his car having hydroplaned across the pavement. Hidemi seems to have committed suicide. Family and friends report both boys acted strange in the week leading up to their death. Please keep those close to them in your thoughts as they battle with this tough reality._

Noya’s eyes skimmed over the small article once again. Two former members dead? Now that he thought about it he recognized the names. Asahi, Suga, and Daichi had played with them just before they moved on to working and college. He shakes his head, closing the news app on his phone before tucking it away into his pocket. Sure it was strange that they’d both died the same night but it obviously just seemed like a coincidence.

His feet carry him to the gym and instantly tunes into the sound of squeaking shoes and the smack of rubber against the floor. A grin spreads over his face as he jogs to the door and makes quick work of changing his shoes before he walks in. His eyes are quick to scan over the faces of his team mates. Daichi and Suga look a little more sober than usual. Not surprising given the news that had just come out. He frowns a bit to himself, unsure of what he could say or do for them. Perhaps leaving them alone for now would be the best. From them, his eyes focus on his boyfriend. His body is rigid as he works on serves. It’s obvious the deaths are affecting him as well. Sure, they’d known the boys for only a year. But in that year the three of them had been part of a team with the two deceased boys. So it was only natural to take their deaths a little harder than himself was.

He notices Asahi serving and drops his stuff, rushing over and easily hitting the receive at the last second. At first the ace is surprised but then just shakes his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. It causes Noya’s heart to flutter to see it knowing that he’d been the one to put it there.

“Mind if I receive from you for a bit?”

“Go right ahead.”

* * *

 

The end of practice only comes once the sun had been set for a couple of hours. Everyone had used it to get some sort of frustration from the day out or to work on one of their new moves that they wanted to refine. It was all fine with Noya though, he didn’t care how long he was there practicing, especially if it helped when they got to a match.

“Alright, let’s clean up! Good work everyone!” Ukai calls out from the sides.

Everyone yells out a ‘yes, sir!’ before grabbing brooms, collecting volleyballs, and helping to take down the net. Clean up was always faster than any anticipated and soon enough they were locking up the gym and heading out to their locker room. It was relatively quiet inside. Even Tanaka wasn’t chattering away as usual. It gave Noya a weird feeling and caused his stomach to twist. He ignored it though as he got changed and packed up. Once finished, he swung his bag over his shoulder and bid his goodnights. Heading out, he shoves his hands deep into his pockets and hops down the stairs two at a time. Then he quietly starts to make his way across the campus.

“Noya!”

He pauses, head turning over his shoulder to see Asahi jogging towards him. Turning fully, he tilts his head in question as he looks upwards. When the other is close enough, he offers a sheepish smile.

“...mind if I stay with you again tonight? I ah…”

The words pause and it’s clear Asahi wants to phrase the sentence in a way that doesn’t give away what he’s really thinking. But Noya’s known him long enough that he knows why he wants to stay. It was so he wouldn’t have to be alone with his thoughts. And if he could help, he was going to.

“Sure. Come on. We’ll stop at the little video store on the way and grab something new to watch, yeah?”

Asahi lets out a laugh as he falls into step beside his boyfriend.

“You do realize they have netflix and hulu for a reason, right?”

“And? Sometimes I like watching an old fashioned VHS. Besides, you know you love to watch them too.”

The only answer is a soft pink dusting the taller boy’s cheeks as he reaches up to rub the back of his head. Noya snickers softly at the action but says no more. The reaction was more than enough to tell him he was right.

* * *

 

“Alright so we got popcorn, warm blankets, and a comfy bunch of pillows. Anything missing?” Asahi asks as he looks around to make sure they have everything.

“Yeah my boyfriend sitting down. We have everything come on I wanna watch it already!”

Noya reaches up and tugs on the other’s hand so he’s forced to plop himself down next to the smaller who grins as he curls up into his side.

“What exactly is this anyway?”

“Dunno,” Noya answers as he grabs the remote. “It was in the ‘employee favorites’ section. There was no label on it though which was kind of weird. If it doesn’t turn out to be an action film I’m heading back out to exchange it.”

He presses the play button for the VCR and then drops the remote to the side again. Asahi’s arm wrap around his waist just as a bit of sound starts to play. He figures it’s going to be the opening credits and reaches for a small handful of popcorn but pauses as he stares at the screen.

Different images flash before his eyes. What looks like eclipse, water, a woman who seems to smile at him. As he watches it, he finds himself nothing but confused. It makes his stomach twist uncomfortably but he can’t look away. He watches every last second of it. When the final static shows up, he continues to keep his eyes focused forward. What on earth had that been? Some stupid film made by a film class somewhere? It wasn’t interesting exactly. Nor was it worth the time and effort it took to get it and hook up the VCR.

“Is it over? It sounded creepy. Did it look creepy? Can I move my hand?”

It was then that Noya snapped out of his trance and looked up to see Asahi covering his eyes. Snorting softly, he pokes his boyfriend’s cheek.

“It wasn’t scary. It looked like some stupid film student’s made a film and are trying to get people to watch it. Honestly it’s just weird.”

“I dunno. The small glimpse I got of it gave me the creeps.”

Noya goes to open his mouth to respond when the house phone rings. He figures it’s probably his father calling to say he’d be late again that night and hops up to grab it.

“Dad, haven’t I told you to just call my cell?” he says as he presses the receiver to his ear.

There’s no answer for a minute. Instead it’s dead silent. Almost as if nothing was on the other end. Then, quietly two words are spoken before the dial tone sounds.

“ _Seven days._ ”


	2. Chapter 2

_NOVEMBER 6TH, 2016 - **DAY ONE**_

* * *

 

He sure as hell didn’t feel any different. Noya ran his fingers through his hair, spiking it up into it’s usual style. Sure the film had been creepy but it wasn’t anything to flip about. Looks like it was just some lame thing students made as a prank. He was pretty upset that the video clerk even had it on his shelves without knowing what it was. No wonder the man had just let him take it. A frown pulls at his lips as he rinses his hands in the sink.

“A video that kills you. What a laugh.”

Stepping out of the bathroom, he moves back to his own room to find Asahi just tugging on his school jacket. When he sees Noya he raises an eyebrow in question. The boy merely walks by him and grabs his bag.

“Come on we’ll be late if we don’t go now.”

“Noya-”

“I’m fine. Seriously it’s just a stupid prank. I didn’t realize someone had _actually_ gone through the trouble of making a dumb video to help it along.”

Asahi merely frowns but says nothing more. There was a knot in his stomach when he thought about the video. While he hadn’t watched it, he just felt like something was off in the atmosphere now. He follows silently as his boyfriend heads down the stairs first. He even waits patiently outside for him to lock the house up before they head off down the road towards the high school. It’s silent between the two of them as they move. Both lost in their own thoughts on the film that they’d—well, that Noya—had watched. From what Asahi could hear of it, it certainly wasn’t the usual film. It’d twisted his gut into a knot and pulled it up into his throat causing him to want to vomit. Yet Noya seemed unaffected. More annoyed with the lack of scare to it that he’d hoped for. The third year tilts his gaze downward toward his boyfriend and watches him mutter to himself.

“Noya.”

The boy in question snaps his attention away from the sidewalk with an arched brow. He notes the concern still present in Asahi’s eyes and shakes his head.

“I’m fine. I’m just annoyed. If they wanted to make a prank like that, they could have made it more scary. It would make you _actually_ fear for your life for seven weeks, ya know?”

“It didn’t phase you at all? Not even the slightest?”

Noya shakes his head, the blond piece sweeping over his forehead with the motion. Asahi wasn’t sure if he should be concerned that it didn’t or glad whatever that video had been wasn’t affecting him the way the creator intended. Deciding on the latter, he lets it go for the time being. He could always bring it up again later. It gets quiet again but neither is bothered. The quiet scuff of their sneakers against the pavement as they move is more than enough to keep them from going completely crazy. It’s the only noise heard for a little more than ten minutes before a sudden shout comes from the bottom of the hill.

“NOYA! DUDE! THERE’S THIS REALLY WEIRD GREEN MASS GROWING ON THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING YOU GOTTA COME SEE!”

The two look to see Tanaka waving his hands insanely to grab their attention and a smile is instantly on Noya’s face seeing his best friend. He looks up at Asahi who sighs through his nose and then nudges him forward.

“Go. Just...don’t get in trouble.”

“Me? Never!”

But there’s a devious smirk on his face as he turns and takes off running. Almost as an afterthought Asahi jogs forward a little and shouts ‘AND DON’T TOUCH IT’ which only earns a small wave over the second-year’s shoulder. He watches the two meet at the bottom of the hill with a high five before rushing through the crowd of students. How’d he end up with such a weird boyfriend?

* * *

 

“It’s so squishy!”

The stick Noya was using to poke at the blob merely sank into it before pulling back with a little suction. Sure Asahi had told him not to touch it, but he wasn’t directly touching it so it didn’t count right?

“I wonder why it’s here. It doesn’t look like a plant.”

“Maybe one of the classes had a failed science experiment and tossed it out the window.”

The two snicker at the thought. It’d happened once before during their freshman orientation though of course it’d landed on the vice principal instead of the wall. If Noya liked the vice principal more he’d feel sorry for the poor guy.

“You should totally take my picture with it,” Tanaka announces, grabbing his phone out.

He hands it over after getting it to the camera and then poses beside the green mass. Using the stick Noya had been using moments before he pokes it, pulling the most curiosity filled face he could. There’s a flash as he takes the picture before laughter follows it.

“This should be your profile picture for sure!”

As Tanaka peeks at the picture he nods in agreement before nudging his best friend forward. Noya takes the hint and moves over. He counts to three with his fingers before pretending to sneeze which is followed by the flash of the camera.

“Now THAT is profile pic worthy. Hell I think it’s better than mine. No fair!”

“What can I say? The camera loves me more. Now lemme see.”

He grabs Tanaka’s phone from him to look at the picture but finds his face is all blurry.

“Damn, the movement must have screwed with the camera. I demand a retake!”

But before they could even try the bells are ringing for everyone to get into their classrooms. Noya groans, a pout taking over his features. Tanaka pats his shoulder as they turn towards the building to head inside.

“Sorry dude.”

* * *

 

Classes moved slow throughout the day. Noya found himself distracted for the most part, images from the film flashing in his mind even as he tried to concentrate on the lesson (he had to keep his grades up after all). Why was he so stuck on such a poorly made film? And one that wasn’t even scary? A frown etches itself in his features as he shakes his head trying to clear it. There was no reason for him to dwell on it. When lunch came around he didn’t even leave the classroom like normal. Instead he say in his seat by the window and poked around at his food, replaying the film in his head once again. Whoever made it deserved props for that at least. They made a video that was so bad you couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The last half of the day he drifted in and out of the lectures. He registered that his professors were talking and even tried to take decent notes on what he could hear but he ended up just scribbling lines in the corner of the page. Maybe it was from lack of sleep. Not so much from the night before but just over all. He never did sleep right and sometimes it just caught up to him and the film as just the last thing he’d focused on intently. That was the only explanation that he could come up with. At least the only one that seemed plausible.

When the final bells rang to end the school day, he was slow to pack up his things. Volleyball would be sure to clear his mind. There was never a time that throwing himself into the sport hadn’t managed to do that. His bag thrown over his shoulder, he exits his classroom and makes his way down the hall.

“Oi Noya!”

Blinking, the owner of the name twists himself around to find the owner of the call. Tanaka is jogging down the hall towards him and only slows down once he’s beside him, falling in step.

“Where were you at lunch? Asahi was pretty anxious that you weren’t there.”

Shit. He’d not even thought to send a message to Asahi at all.

“Ah, just got caught up trying to understand some of the English phrases we’re working on. Gotta make sure I keep the grades up to play.”

“True. At least one of is is starting to take grades seriously.”

A smile tugs at the corner of Noya’s lips and he shakes his head slightly. Tanaka was pretty lucky that he could study the night before and manage to slide by when needed. It’d always been something the boy envied in his best friend. The rest of their trip out to the gym was quiet but that breaks when he once again hears his name. Almost instantly he feels large hands on his shoulders that are turning him around to look over his face. There is nothing but concern in Asahi’s eyes when Noya looks up to meet his gaze. It causes his stomach to twist in guilt for a moment.

“First you act all funny this morning, then you miss lunch, are you getting sick?”

Reaching up, Noya squeezes gently at Asahi’s forearm and shakes his head.

“I’m fine really. I think the exhaustion of the last few weeks is finally catching up to me. That’s all. I meant to text you at lunch but I forgot.”

There’s a frown on Asahi’s face that tells him he doesn’t quite believe what he’s saying. But when he hears the rest of the team starting to show up he decides to let it go and lets his hands slide from his shoulders. Daichi offers a greeting as he walks by before calling out to the rest of the team to tell them to hurry up so they can have a pre-practice meeting. Noya and Asahi turn to follow so they don’t miss out on what their captain wants to say but the former pauses before he enters into the gym.

“...huh.”

Asahi raises an eyebrow and looks over towards where Noya is looking.

“What’s up?”

“I wonder what that ladder is doing there. Any idea if they are working on the gym?”

When he notices the look of actual puzzlement on his boyfriend’s face, Asahi knows the libero isn’t pulling a fast one on him. But he can’t help but be confused himself.

“Noya, what ladder?”

“You don’t see it? Big red ladder between the fourth and fifth window?”

There’s a shake of the head from the taller that only has the shorter frowning before shrugging his shoulders slightly. He moves towards the locker room after the rest of the team not noticing that Asahi hasn’t moved yet, staring at the spot before looking back towards Noya.

“Come on! Daichi will have our asses if we aren’t there for the meeting.”

He hears the footsteps approach and then fall in step beside him. When Noya looks up he can see the worry etched even further into Asahi’s face.

“Don’t worry about it. I must just be seeing things. More tired than I thought I was I guess.”

Asahi nods at the statement unsure of what else he could really say. But whatever the explanation, he just knew he’d have to start keeping a closer eye on the other. Just to be safe.


	3. Chapter 3

_NOVEMBER 7TH, 2016 - **DAY TWO**_

* * *

 

The bell rings jerking him from whatever half-awake state he’d been in. Noya blinks, each eyelid lazily drawing downward before sliding upward again. It wasn’t like him to feel sluggish. Even after days of not sleeping he was full of boundless energy.To feel so slow in mind and body, especially while sitting in class, made his brow furrow in thought. Maybe it was just because he’d slept the night before but only for a few hours. If he didn’t get enough and didn’t just stay awake it did tend to have adverse affects on him. He sighs putting his pen down at the top of his desk. He looks down to see check and see just what he’d been taking notes on only to see scribbles along the edges instead of just the words the teacher had been writing on the board.

He wasn’t entirely sure what exactly most of them were. Some things were just circles spun around until it tore through the paper. Others were pictures, albeit messy ones. He could make out the shape of a clumsily sketched out horse, a chair in front of a video camera, and…

_Are those patient nodes?_

He’d seen them used once before in a film where they’d shocked some guy as a way of torture. Why on earth would he be drawing those in his notes? Especially when they had nothing to do with English. A frown tugs the corners of his mouth down before he finally shuts the book. Staring at it certainly wouldn’t tell him why they were there after all. He turns, digs his food from his bag, before standing and making his way from his classroom. Weaving through the crowds of other second years mingling and having lunch together, he finds the stairs and takes them two at a time to get outside. It’s only a short walk to find the rest of the team in their usual spot.

“Noya!” Tanaka calls out.

It draws the attention of everyone else as the boys moves closer with a small wave and smile. He forces on one of his usual smiles and puts a little of his usual bounce into his step. No need to worry the others when there wasn’t anything really wrong with him.

“Hey! Sorry teacher ran over a little. Did I miss anything exciting?”

In the midst of his talking he pulls out his chopsticks, busying himself so that he can drop the smile for at least a few minutes so no one can notice it’s not real.

“Tanaka got ignored again by Kiyoko when she walked by,” Daichi mentions.

The boy in mention immediately starts to smile and sighs loudly as a dreamy look takes over his face. The others sitting there start to snicker and while most of them start to poke fun at the boy in their usual way, Noya takes the quiet moment to start to eat so he’s not forced to talk or act. He thinks he’s gotten away with it until he feels a set of eyes on him and turns only to notice Asahi watching him carefully from beside him. He swallows the food in his mouth, reaching out to grab his water bottle and drinks from it before raising an eyebrow.

“What?”

“What’s wrong?”

It’s such a direct question that it causes him to pause for a second. It’s not quite out of surprise, Asahi could usually see through any facade he wore, but he didn’t know how to answer it. He shrugs, turning his attention back to his meal that he pushes side to side with the ends of his chopsticks.

“Nothin’. Just tired.”

“You said that yesterday.”

That was true. He’d used the excuse yesterday when he’d seen the ladder that Asahi couldn’t see. Frowning, he stuffs a snowpea into his mouth and munches on it quietly as he shifts in his seat. After carefully chewing and swallowing he sighs.

“Yeah well, it’s still the truth today. You know how I get.”

“Mm.”

It’s the only answer he receives other than the other’s eyebrows furrowing slightly as he watched him. Noya chooses to ignore the look, focusing on eating his lunch instead. The rest of the lunch period goes the same. Asahi watching him, the others asking him his opinion, him pretending everything is fine. Thankfully the bell sounds soon enough to tell them that it’s time to get back to class. He’s quick to pack up, quicker than usual, and while it goes unnoticed by most of the team, it certainly doesn’t slip by Asahi. He’s about to turn and head back inside when he hears Daichi call his name. Turning his head, he quirks an eyebrow as if to ask ‘what’s up?’.

“Just wanted to remind you there’s no practice tonight. You ran out pretty early last night so I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

Noya nods. He remembered something about that in their last team meeting. The gym was being checked over in case repairs were needed and they didn’t want the students there causing interruptions to the workers or the workers causing practice interruptions. It just made things easier. Without allowing anyone else to say something to him, he’s quick to head back into the building. He can feel Asahi’s eyes on him as he disappears up the stairs towards his classroom and it causes his stomach to twist. He hadn’t exactly lied to him about being tired, yet he felt like he had. Groaning to himself, he enters his classroom and takes his seat again. All he wanted to do was get through the rest of the day and get back home. Maybe he’d get a good night's rest for once.

* * *

 

Stretching his arms above his head, Noya lets out a satisfied sigh when he hears his joints crack as his muscles stretch. Finally the school day came to an end. If he was quick enough he’d be able to avoid his members and head back home without too much of an incident.

At least he could hope.

He packs his bag up, launching himself up from his seat as he swings it over his head to rest on his shoulder, before jogging out of the room. As tired as he feels, his eyelids threatening to close any second now, he knows the only way to get home is to be as fast as his usual self. He makes it all the way outside. But as he’s passing through his usual pathway to get towards his place, he notices a familiar figure leaning against the wall. He should have known that Asahi would be waiting for him. They usually walked together in the afternoon. Maybe being alone wouldn’t be such a good idea anyway with how unsteady he was on his feat. Deciding he much prefers the idea to being alone in this state, he goes over and offers a small smile.

“Hey, ready to go?”

Asahi nods, swinging his bag over his shoulder as he pushes from the wall. The two start off quietly, arms brushing gently as they go. It’s peaceful and Noya is pleased that his boyfriend hadn’t asked him again if he was okay. He feels the tension start to leave his shoulders as the breeze brushes past him, pushing the strands of blond hair from his forehead. They walk like that, quiet and content, until they get to their usual break off place when Asahi grabs onto Noya’s hand and pulls him towards the road that leads to his place.

“Uh...Asahi? Why…?”

“Your dad works the night shift tonight, right? Come on. We can work on some homework since I know you won’t do it if you go home alone and it needs to get done so you can keep your grades up. Plus mom is making that dish you really like.”

At the mention of food Noya hears his stomach growl and finds himself relenting. He probably wouldn’t have much other than a small bit of rice if he went home. And he most certainly would not get any of his homework done. Besides, how could he pass up time with Asahi? The answer was he couldn’t. He loosely laces their fingers together to show his compliance and they settle back into their contented quietness. Even when they get back to the Azumane residence, they don’t say much. Asahi only tells his mother that he’s home, that Noya is with him, and that they’d be working on homework until dinner was ready. After that they merely make their way up to the ace’s bedroom and get comfortable: Noya on the bed while Asahi works at his desk.

“Make sure you actually do homework, yeah? Last time you said you were and then you ended up texting Tanaka for hours.”

“Hey Ryu was telling me very detailed updates on a bunch of ants he’d found in his yard!”

Asahi shakes his head, but he does notice that Noya is smiling a natural smile and seems more like himself.

“Just do your English.”

There’s a grumble in answer but the libero does actually pull out his books and start to read through whatever it is he needs to work on. The quiet settles over the room again as they work. Concentration at a strange high as they both stare at their books and copy down what it is they need to do. Noya chews on the skin around his thumb as he absently moves his pen against the paper he’s supposed to be copying word problems into. While his concentration had been there for the first twenty minutes or so it was slowly dwindling. The words on the page began to swim in front of his eyes. Just as he was about to grumble something out in frustration he hears Asahi’s mother calling them for supper.

“Yes, food!”

He hops from the bed, tossing his pen behind him before stretching.

“I’m gonna get there first so I get more than you~!”

He sends a cheeky grin at his boyfriend who only shakes his head as he watches the smaller boy rush from the room. Asahi merely shakes his head and stands with a small stretch himself. Bending down, he swipes the pen from the floor and leans over to set it on top of Noya’s notebook so that he doesn’t think it’s lost after dinner. As he drops the pen however, he can’t help but stare at the paper that Noya had been writing on the last half hour or so. Swirls of some kind, little drawings that made no sense or had no connection to each other covered the bottom and sides of the page. Some of the swirls were intense enough they ripped through the paper itself and were actually drawn onto the next sheet before it looked like a new one got started next to it.

Frowning, he looks from the notebook to the door before back down. Something was certainly not right with Noya but he wasn’t quite sure what. Sure the boy could be eccentric but seeing ladders, weird drawings? Honestly he needed to get that boy some sleep before he started saying he was hearing voices or seeing people who weren’t there. When he hears his name being called, he’s quick to turn from the notebook and head out of his room. But for the rest of the night he knows he’s going to be thinking about the rings that were scratched into the paper.


	4. Chapter 4

_ NOVEMBER 8TH, 2016 -  _ **_DAY THREE_ **

* * *

 

Noya groaned, rubbing the back of his neck as he made his way to the second year’s floor. He’d fallen asleep sitting up at Asahi’s desk after the other had gone to bed the night before and it’d left a kink in his neck. Asahi had been thrown into a minor worried panic when he’d found him of course (after all he’d promised to go to bed after another hour of working) but he’d managed to assure him he was really okay and that he could make it to class. Not the first time he’d ended up with some sort of problem with his muscles and wouldn’t be the last. Though normally they were due to volleyball and not sleeping positions. He shakes his head, trying to focus on walking through the crowded hallway. Falling over and getting actually injured would not be good for him.

“Noya!”

Blinking, the boy looks up at his name and sees Tanaka rushing towards him with a paper in his hand.

“Ryu? What’s that?”

The other gives a wide grin before holding it out towards his face. He scans it over, eyes widening before he slowly begins to match the grin on his best friend’s face. After a moment he pushes the paper out of the way and looks up at him.

“No way! How on earth did Takeda-sensei manage to get us a practice match all the way out with Nekoma at this time of year?”

“I think the coaches just like having us battle it out during practice rounds. And since they came out here last, it was only fair for us to go up to see them.”

It did make sense, but Noya was still surprised. Coach Ukai tended to make sure that their schooling was first and foremost even when he knew they needed to practice as much as possible if they were going to make it to nationals this year. Shrugging, he decides it’s whatever. The familiar buzz of excitement over a match, even if it was a practice one, was starting to flow under his skin. He was going to question something good like this happening. He grins up at Tanaka and brings his hand up, clenching it into a fist.

“I’m going to crush their libero this time. He’ll see I’m obviously the better player.”

The grin on Tanaka’s face only widens before he lets out a loud laugh and then he clasps onto Noya’s hand when he opens it up.

“We’ll also show Yamamoto that he’s got nothin’ on us.”

There’s a general giddiness flowing between the two now. Something familiar and warm. Noya grips onto it mentally trying to hold it in place. It’s certainly nice to feel after days of not having his mind in the right place. Before either of them can say another thing about it, the bell signals time for their first class to start and they wave at each other before heading off to their separate classrooms. Noya takes his seat by the window, staring out the window as he hums quietly. His brain is entirely on the idea of a practice match now. Sure it was a little more than a week away but still it was close enough he could just feel it. His fingers twitched, his forearms ached, his feet wanted to move. He wanted, no  _ needed _ to practice. But he still had a full day of class ahead of him. Groaning, he turns as the teacher walks into the room. It would be a long day.

* * *

 

By lunchtime he was practically vibrating in his chair. He needed to move. Needed to feel the ball against his skin as he received it, hear the squeak of sneakers across the floor as the team practiced. As soon as they were dismissed to eat, he grabbed his lunch and booked it from his classroom. He rode the railing down the stairs, landing on the first landing and then on the bottom floor before rushing outside. When the group saw him coming they knew he’d heard about the match and Daichi couldn’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

“So you’ve heard.”

“Hell yeah I’ve heard! When did sensei get it in place?”

He takes his spot by Asahi who seems physically relaxed at the way his boyfriend is acting. Noya looks around at the group of people waiting for someone to answer his question. Suga finishes whatever he’d been chewing on before he answers.

“Kiyoko told us just this morning about it so either it was last night or before we got to school. Though I’m banking on the former.”

“He’s always here late,” Asahi pipes up, “so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d managed to catch Coach Nekomata at some point last night.”

The rest of the gang nod their heads. It wasn’t unknown to those around the school that he was frequently, and tirelessly, working on getting them practice matches during the year. Honestly, if not for him they’d probably never gotten back on the map as a team worth playing against. They eat their lunches, conversation flowing easily and endlessly. From how Nekoma might have improved since they last saw them, to how maybe they should work on some new moves if they wanted to surprise them. By the end of lunch none of them want to go back to class. Reluctantly they all stand, one by one, to head back up to their classes. Asahi and Noya are the last to pack up and start their ascent. They walk, hands clasped loosely. No words spoken until they stop at the second floor landing.

“You’re more….you today.”

Noya blinks, looking up at Asahi to find him smiling down at him. It’s the first genuine smile he’s seen on his boyfriend in a few days. All that worrying over him had not done the taller boy any good it seemed.

“We’ve got a match coming up. And even though the position was awkward, I did manage some sleep last night.”

Asahi gives him a nod just before the smaller boy is leaning up on his toes and pressing his lips to his cheek. It causes the ace to flush in surprise at the tender action. When he looks down, Noya is merely grinning at him.

“See you at practice.”

And with that he leaves the older teen in the hallway to head to his own classroom. He moves slowly towards his own, finding his seat again and dropping his bento box back into his bag. Thinking it over, he’d have to tell Asahi to thank his mother for making him lunch. It’d been the best lunch he’d eaten all week. Noya lifts his pencil, tapping it gently against his notebook as he waited for the teacher to meander in for his next lesson. Yet, as he was tapping it, somehow it ended up becoming drawings. He was only mindlessly moving the pencil across the paper until the teacher setting their heavy book down on the front desk broke his concentration. When he looked down he saw more strange drawings like he’d seen the day before. He’s quick to turn the page to a clean one and shake his head. He needed to focus on class or the match. Something that wouldn’t send his mind into a blank state where he’d doodle strange scenes any more.

Thankfully, his math teacher liked to pick on him and though he was usually wrong whenever the questions were asked, it gave him a chance to think on something else. He tried to think through each problem sent his way. Today he even managed to get a few right. It impressed the teacher which was something he’d never done. He supposed putting his mind to the work actually did improve his skills. Not that he’d admit it outloud to anyone.

Math turned to social studies. Social studies turned to science. Science turned to health. Then finally school was over. He’d never been more grateful for it to end. Which was impressive because he was always grateful when he got to go to practice instead of sit in a classroom full of people he didn’t talk to often at all. Stuffing his books into his bag, he swings it over his shoulder and rushes from the classroom. Tanaka is just coming out of his own class when he makes it to the end of the hallway.

“Come on. I’m seriously feelin’ practice today,” Noya calls out as he rushes by.

He doesn’t see Tanaka take a double take before rushing after him, but he does hear the sound of his feet falling into pace with him as they rush from the building. They are the first two into the locker room. Stuffing their bags into the lockers and pulling out their practice clothes. Noya is halfway undressed when Tanaka starts laughing.

“Dude you have to see this.”

With a raised eyebrow, Noya moves over to look down at the others phone. It looked like it was some stupid stunt video. Those always ended badly and yet they always had such amusement when watching them. With a nod, he gives permission to restart it to show the video from the beginning. He’s thoroughly enjoying it until it’s paused as other members start to filter in. While Tanaka is distracted, Noya looks down to see how much longer the video was, wondering if he’d have to see the rest after class. But what he notices instead of the time is a fly in the corner of the screen. Not odd in itself of course, they sometimes sat on cameras when one recorded things. What was odd was that it was moving. He checked to make sure the video was indeed paused, which it was, so how on earth could the fly be moving?

_ Maybe it’s...sitting on the screen… _

That didn’t make much sense really as he reached towards the screen. It certainly looked like part of the film. He brushes his fingers over it, trying to grasp wings that were surely not there. Yet, he did grab onto them. The wings of the insect are snatched between his forefinger and thumb before its plucked from the screen.

Wait. Plucked from the screen?

His eyes widen as his hand starts to shake. He looks around to see if anyone else noticed the strange occurrence. Tanaka’s eyes are focused on where his fingers had just pulled the fly away. But they don’t look like someone who was watching someone else simply remove a bug. They were wide, glossy, his lips parted slightly.

“...d-did…?”

He honestly has no answer. A chill rushes up his spine and he just stares at his best friend. He wasn’t even fucking sure what on earth he’d just done, how was he supposed to explain it? Noya looks back down to the fly between his fingers and listens to it buzz as it tries to get free. The longer he held it the more real the action seemed. Tanaka’s gaze shifts from the phone screen to the fly to Noya’s face. There was no way he could lie outright to him when he’d clearly seen something strange occur. But how the fuck did you explain something like that?

“I uh...I know I could have just shooed it but...I thought...m-maybe I could just put it out the window.”

It’s a lame ass excuse. One that he’s not entirely concrete in himself as he turns from the boy who is still gaping at him in confusion and shock. The window at the back of the locker room is pulled open and he releases the bug into the cool air. His eyes stay focused on it for a few minutes before he turns back to the room itself. Tanaka is staring at his phone again rather than him. He swears he can hear him muttering something about ‘the fly having been in the video earlier when he’d watched it’. That couldn’t be true though right? Not if he’d just plucked it off the screen. His stomach twisted. The urge to throw up was hard to ignore but he forced himself to do so.

Turning, he works on finishing getting changed. There was just no way the fly had been  _ in _ the video. It was impossible. He finishes pulling his t-shirt over his head before slipping his shoes on and then grabs his water bottle and volleyball shoes before following some of the others out. As they move towards the gym, he doesn’t even recognize the surroundings as his mind focuses on the incident in the locker room. His eyes drift towards the team members around him and he sees Tanaka staring at his phone still as he walks.

Thankfully the closer they get to the gym, the less the two focus on it. It’s almost as if the moment they are within mere steps from the gym it’s been wiped from their minds. Fly forgotten, he feels his blood start to buzz as it pumps through his veins. He pauses at the door merely to change shoes before he’s rushing over to the supply closet to start getting things out. He helps set up the net with Ennoshita before he grins and bounces on his toes.

“Alright going to practice receives today,” Ukai announces as he steps into the gym. “They are still a little all over the place. If we want to have a good game against Nekoma, even a practice one, we have to be able to keep the ball in play.”

A collective ‘RIGHT’ is called out from the players and then it’s off to working. Ukai stands high and spikes the balls down so that players can receive them. Five successful receives and they switch to the next player. Noya is bouncing on his feet reading to get in there and show off even just a little. Receives are all he can do to help his team during real games. Libero’s didn’t score points but they kept the ball up so the spikers could make them. When Tsukishima finishes up, it’s his turn and he’s instantly on the court before the first year is even fully out of the lines. With a deep breath, he focuses himself and darts after every ball that is sent his way. Part of him wants to let some go so he can spend a longer time hitting the ball back but it’s not in his nature. He sends the first and only five he gets sent to him right to the setter’s position before he moves out of the way for the next player. It goes on like this for hours. Rotating so each member continues to hit through receives.

“The first years are starting to improve,” Suga muses.

Most of the team is watching as Hinata tries to send the balls back towards the net. While he takes the occasional one to the face still, most of them hit his arms. Even if they don’t always get properly received, it was definitely an improvement from the first year of their workings.

“True. Then again, practice makes perfect. And we’ve been practicing receives a lot,” Daichi says.

The rest of the group nods, continuing to watch. Noya is about to move forward so he can be ready as Tsukishima is working on getting his last few successful moves in, when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He looks up to see Asahi’s eyebrows furrowed as he stares at his face. With a frown, he turns fully to look at him and opens his mouth to ask what’s wrong when he’s handed a tissue.

“Y-your nose is…”

Reaching up, Noya wipes at his nose with his hand only to have it come away red. Wincing, he’s instantly rolling up the tissue and sticking it into his nose before reaching up to pinch at the bridge. How the hell had he gotten a bloody nose? He hadn’t been hit in the face or anything. And there wasn’t anything wrong with him health wise. What the hell could have gotten him into a state like that? As if being able to read his thought, Suga (who had popped in front of him when?) looked him over with a hum.

“I think the air is just dry that’s all. It has been cooler the last few days. Nose bleeds can happen from such things. Even if you aren’t normally prone to them.”

Noya nods slowly. “You’re probably right. Well I guess that means I gotta sit out for a bit until it stops. None of you disappoint me with your receives!”

They all grin and nod at him before he turns to head over to the wall. He slides down it, sinking to his butt before resting his head back as he continues to pinch at his nose. Without the distraction, he starting thinking about the strange incident back in the locker room. Could they have something to do with each other? He’s quick to shove such a thought to the side. How could finding a fly on Tanaka’s phone and getting a nosebleed be interconnected? It was stupid to even think so. He lifts his eyes to look over at the team who have gotten back in line only to see Asahi watching him. He offers a warm smile and a thumbs up to tell his boyfriend he’s okay. It seems to work at least a little. He can see the other’s shoulders physically relax and he turns his attention back towards the court since he’s up next.

He just hoped the nosebleed stopped soon. He was itching to be back out on the court.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of an early update because I was in the mood to write the next bit (and because I have no self control when it comes to posting). My school semester is winding down, I'm in the final two weeks but it shouldn't impede my postings. But Just thought I'd give y'all a little heads up in case!!


	5. Chapter 5

_ NOVEMBER 9TH, 2016 -  _ **_DAY FOUR_ **

* * *

 

Saturday. A day where Noya didn’t have to do anything other than take care of his plants and ignore the world around him. He sat quietly on his desk chair, eyes focused on his cacti terrarium where it say on his nightstand. He’d already checked on the water content, made sure the heat lamp was working properly, and now he was just sitting there with them. That’s how he spent a lot of his time when he was by himself. He’d talk with his plants or just sit quietly with them. Some may find it strange but he thought of them as friends. Sighing, he leans forward, elbow on the nightstand and cheek in palm.

“...it’s been a weird few days you guys.”

How else do you describe pulling flies off videos, random nosebleeds, and seeing things? His gaze stays focused on the plants in front of him as he tries to make sense of it all. He could just chock it up to lack of sleep. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had a strange week due to that.Yet he feels like he’s been using the excuse all week when it really wasn’t the case.

Groaning quietly, he drops his forehead to the nightstand, arms swinging lamely by his side. He hated this. The feeling of not knowing what was going on. Especially with his own body. It made him beyond uncomfortable. He shifts his head so that his chin rests against the surface instead of his forehead and stares at his plants. For a brief moment his mind wonders if they hold some sort of answers as it what is going on with him. But he snorts when he realizes that even for him that idea is insane. He continues to stare at them though. Long enough that he starts to go cross eyed and has to squeeze his eyes shut to get his vision to go back to normal. Sighing, he pushes himself back and scoots himself back to his desk. His fingers tap the surface. He’s not in the mood to even attempt to focus on his homework assignments (something Asahi would get on him about if he was there).

“...maybe a walk would help.”

With that thought he hops from his chair and moves around the room getting dressed. He peeks outside to see it’s raining in the midst of it but decides it’d be best to get out of the house either way. He hops down the stairs two at a time once he’s ready, tugging his sneakers and rain coat on before throwing the door open. Once he shuts it behind him he pauses to breathe in the fresh hair. There was always something about how the rain made the world smell. A smile tugs at his lips and once his hood is tugged over his head he ventures forth.

It’s pleasant listening to only the pitter patter of rain as he moves down the street. There’s the occasional sound of a car passing but for the most part it’s quiet. Even with his hood, he can feel rain pelting his face and starting to soak into the front of his hair. It makes him smile a little at the feeling. At the end of the street he takes the corner and starts down another one. He has no destination in mind, just a mission to walk until he felt like turning back around.

As he approaches the next corner, he realizes his pants are soaked from stepping in puddles. Wet jeans were not fun to get off but he’d have to worry about it when he got home. He looks up, checking both ways before rechecking and goes to take a step across the road when he pauses when he sees something out the corner of his eye. Blinking, he turns his head to the side. But there isn’t anything there.

_ Trick of the light. It’s just reflecting off the water. _

Shaking his head, he checks the road again before jogging across and making his way down another street. It’s not until a few streets later he sees it again. The same flash at the edge of his vision. He spins to try and catch it but there’s nothing there. Frowning, he turns back to face his previous direction only for something to rush past him. He jumps back, stumbling into the wall of a building. Noya darts his gaze around trying to catch a glimpse of whatever had just ran by him.

_ A dog? A cat maybe? _

He stands there, heart racing as he waits for it to show up again. But nothing happens. He heaves a sigh and smacks his palm against his forehead.

“The hell are you getting scared about?”

He casts a quick glance around the street before pulling his phone from his pocket to check the time. His eyes widen for a moment. How the hell had he been outside for an hour now? It sure hadn’t felt that long. Shoving his phone away again, he turns and starts his trek homeward. There was no reason to stay out in the rain and continue to go any farther when it was already going to take him an hour to get back home. His feet dragged through the puddles on his way back. At this point he was beyond trying to keep his pants dry, the majority of the material was already soaked through to his skin. 

There’s a point, halfway through his journey back, when the hairs on the back of his neck start to stand up. He darts his eyes around him, hood falling from his head in the process. His hair is soaked in seconds, flattening against his face and neck. No one was around. The streets were as quiet as they had been when he’d left the house. Though now they held no comfort as they had then. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turns and starts to move along the road again, his pace quickened.

He swears he hears something behind him just as he reaches the end of his street. Spinning around, ready to yell at whoever had been following him, he feels his throat seize up instead. A girl stands there. Clad in a white dress, black hair hanging limply over her face and shoulders. She looks soaked to the bone, though who wouldn’t be being outside in this weather, especially when they aren’t dressed properly. There’s something about her that unsettles him. It sinks through his entire being, dragging bile to the back of his throat as he shudders, eyes glued to her form. His brows furrow after a moment in confusion. Why did she feel familiar when he’d never seen her before?

He doesn’t even have time to question it as he stumbles back the moment she moves towards him. He spins, almost falling over when he slides through some rain, and runs. He doesn’t stop until he’s rushed into his house, back pressed against the closed door as his heart pounds against his ribs. He stands there, dripping water onto the floor as he listens. All he can hear is the rain falling against the earth. Against his better judgement, he turns, cracking the door open to peek outside. But there’s no one there. He takes a tentative step outside and looks around only to see the road. Quiet and peaceful. The door is shut and he presses his forehead to it, squeezing his eyes shut.

_ What the hell was that? _

He stands there for longer than necessary before peeling himself from the door. His shoes are kicked off before he drags himself up the stairs. Water trails behind him but at the moment he couldn’t care less about it. He tosses his phone onto his bed before he drags himself to the bathroom and starts to shower before peeling all of his clothes off. Once that’s done he hops in, allowing the water to rush over his body. It’s hot, hotter than he’d normally have it, but the feeling of it burning against his cold skin reminds him that he’s awake. Though he would prefer if the things he was seeing was because he was asleep. Deciding to wash up while he’s standing there, he shifts and grabs the shampoo, reaching up to rub it through his hair.

After a moment, he sticks his hair back under the water to rinse it out only to be met with the lack of water. A few heavier drops hit his head but nothing more. His brow furrows, eyes moving upwards to see why the water has suddenly stopped. A few more of those same heavy drops hit his face but this time he swears he can feel them  _ moving _ . His eyes snap open and a scream rips from his throat when he sees magots hanging out of the holes in his shower head. He swipes at his hair and face and watches them fall to the floor at his feet before he’s pushing himself towards the opposite side of the shower completely. Squeezing his eyes shut, he rubs at his face.

_ It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real. _

Almost as soon as he finishes chanting that in his head, he hears the water running again. He stares at it for a few minutes, making sure that it stays water before inches forward. His hand reaches out and he watches the water drip over his skin, feels the heat of the water again.

He was really losing it.

Quick as he can without hurting himself, he rinses his hair out and then shuts the water off. He doesn’t want to even bother trying to do the rest of his shower routine if he was going to start seeing maggots in his shower head again. He climbs out, grabbing a towel to dry himself off and wraps it around his waist before leaving the room and heading over to his bedroom. He’s quick to dress himself before he towels at his hair. Dropping the towel over the back of his chair, he darts his eyes around the room. Nothing seemed out of place in there. Everything seemed the way it was when he woke that morning. But something felt off. A shiver runs down his spine causing him to cast another glance around the room. He can still feel the girl watching him,the maggots crawling on his skin. It causes his stomach to twist uncomfortably. After a moment of standing there, making sure he isn’t going to throw up what little food was in his system, he moves over to his bed and crawls under the blankets, pulling them up over his head. He ignores it when his phone makes a soft  _ thump _ against the floor when it falls.

_ Sleep. That’s all I need. Take a nap, Yuu and you’ll be fine. _

With that he closes his eyes and tugs his blankets tighter around himself, drifting into an uneasy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know its been like three weeks since I last updated but finals did get into the way. I appreciate your patience though! We're at the halfway point. I'm looking forward to writing the last few chapters of this. Thanks to all of you who have read it thus far!!


	6. Chapter 6

_NOVEMBER 10TH, 2016 - **DAY FIVE**_

* * *

 

Sunday had passed relatively slowly. He’d not left the house since the previous day, mind still racing from the events that had unfolded. At some point he’d laid on his bed just to stare at the ceiling. It wasn’t long before he passed out from the exhaustion that had been wreaking havoc on his system for the last few days.

But what was supposed to be an unintentional nap had turned into sleeping the night away. Or at least it would have if he’d not awoken in the middle of the night.

The sleep he’d been in before waking had been fitful. He wasn’t sure what had caused such a sleep but he did know that he was exhausted. Yet the thought of closing his eyes and going back to sleep had a feeling of dread running up his spine. So he sat in the middle of his bed, staring at the wall across from him blankly. He’d been sitting there for the last hour since he’d awoken. Even the need to pee wasn’t getting him to move.

A sudden shudder runs up his spine after another hour and he’s finally propelled from his bed. Like a cold hand had been pressed against the warm skin of his back. He spins to stare at where he’d once been perched but merely finds his bedspread mussed up. Nothing is there. Of course nothing was there. Why would there be? He’d been alone. Sleeping by himself both in the bed and in the house. Running his hands down his face, he takes a moment to smack at his cheeks lightly.

“Get it together, Yuu. People are going to send you to a mental hospital if you don’t knock this shit off.”

Dragging his fingers through his hair, he forces himself to leave his bedroom and make his way to the bathroom. After relieving himself he stands in front of the mirror. He allows his eyes to gaze over his reflection and a frown forms. To put it plainly he looked like shit. Circles under his eyes large enough to look like someone had decked him; skin pale as a corpse; hell his eyes even looked dead at this point. Whatever had been affecting him was really doing a number on him. Turning the faucet on, he cups his hands and gathers some of the water before splashing it into his face. He repeats the action before grabbing a towel and patting his skin dry. He stares at his reflection again before sighing and pushing away from the bathroom counter.

Making his way down the stairs, he peeks into his father’s room only to find that he was indeed still alone. Frowning slightly at the thought of his dad still working this late, he hops down the stairs two at a time. Deciding to distract himself with something, he turns the TV on as he plops in front of it. Maybe it’d make him tired enough to travel back up the stairs or even pass out right there under the kotatsu.

But as minutes became hours he realized it was a futile attempt. Whatever had awoken him from his sleep earlier had left an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He shifted uncomfortably every commercial break because he felt like his skin was crawling. Noya attempts to shake it off. He just wants to relax. Why was it so hard for him to get comfortable in his own house tonight?

After sitting there for four hours without much leeway in finding some sort of rest, he stands. A groan falls from his lips as he stretches. He was going to be sore tomorrow before practice ever started. Moving towards the kitchen, he keeps his footsteps light, eyes drifting towards the shadows and corners of the room. He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. It’s almost reflexive the way his eyes will dart around him every few seconds even if he hasn’t moved more than a single step from when he’d last looked. A glass is grabbed from the cupboard and filled with water before he turns and leans against the counter with it in hand. For a moment he just stands there, spacing out as he stares at the wall. In the midst of such he lifts the glass and takes a small sip. The action is repeated multiple times before half the glass is gone. It’s only when he takes another one that he’s wrenched back into reality with a cough.

He figures he swallowed the water wrong. Forced it into the wrong pipe. But it doesn’t sound right for that. It sounds wet like those coughs you get when you’re sick and you need to clear phlegm from your chest. When he lets out another one he finds himself hunching over. His face turns red from the force of it.

And then he feels himself choking.

He can feel his stomach twisting at the motion. He knows that he’s going to start hurling at any second now. Almost as if the thought of it itself is a trigger, he starts heaving. Instead of vomit however, he sees a wire. The more he heaves, the more of the wire shows up. Tears start to stream down his face from the mix of choking and heaving he’s doing. His throat and stomach ache. Finally he’s had enough and he reaches up, tugging at the wire and pulling the last of whatever it was in his throat out. When he can finally breath again, he blinks to clear any leftover tears away before looking down. On the floor lay a long wire attached to a sticky sponge pad. It looked like those things you see hooked up to people in hospitals to monitor their heartbeats.

Seeing it there makes him want to vomit again. He forces himself up on shaky legs and makes to grab for his water glass again. But remembering that drinking from it caused the event to happen, he dumps the water down the drain and sets the glass in the sink. Gripping onto the counter tightly he attempts to calm himself down. He swallows and winces. Noya realizes just how raw his throat is from whatever just happened. Looking down at where the node lay he decides he needs to get rid of it before he can do anything else. Quickly, he grabs it and shoves it into the trashcan under the sink. Then he grabs a couple paper towels and shoves them on top. When he feels like it’s out of sight enough that his father won’t see it when he’s throwing something away he closes the cabinet and leaves the kitchen.

_I think there were some cough drops up in the bathroom cupboard._

It’s with that thought he slowly makes his way up the stairs, keeping a tight grip on the railing. His footsteps are slow, movements sluggish. It takes him longer than necessary to get up the stairs. Almost as if he’s treading water the entire time. Finally making it to the landing he stands still, staring down the hallway. It seems to lengthen the longer he stands there. Reaching up he rubs at his eyes and blinks a few times but even that doesn’t help. With a frown he starts down the hall anyway, destination set on the bathroom. Again it feels like he’s treading water. Which was stupid. He was obviously on dry land, in his own home, there was no water around him. Though he does find himself looking to the floor to see if there is any water around his ankles. Not that he finds any.

After what feels like forever he’s finally passing his father’s bedroom and making his way to the bathroom. But as he steps in front of his dad’s door he feels something wet meet the bare skin of his foot. Swallowing hard, he casts his gaze downward and sees himself standing in a puddle. The pain in his throat forgotten he turns to stare at the door. Slowly he steps forward, knocking on it gently. Had his father come in when he was coughing in the kitchen? Why hadn’t he come in to see what was wrong? Not that he wasn’t grateful. How would he explain coughing up a medical node? There’s no answer to the knock so he decides to call out to him instead.

“Dad?”

His voice is raspy and he takes a moment to try and clear it. Though that only inflames his throat further. When the call gets no answer he gently turns the doorknob and pushes the door open. His feet carry him into the room. A squelching sound that fills the room with every step he takes on the wet carpet. His eyes stay forward, focusing on a figure sitting in the center of the room. Noya doesn’t think about the fact that the carpet shouldn’t be soaking wet like this or that he should be turning around and leaving the room because that familiar crawl has appeared under his skin again. Instead he walks up to the figure and reaches his hand out to touch their shoulder.

“Dad, why didn’t-?”

But his question is cut short as a hand shoots up and grips at his forearm. There’s a searing pain that causes him to scream out.

And it jolts him awake. For real this time.

Hair plastered to his forehead, clothes sticking to his skin, and sheets soaked with sweat. Breathing heavily his eyes dart back and forth around the darkened room. He jumps from his bed, rushing out of his bedroom and down the hall to his dad’s room. There’s no water on the floor and when he pushes the door open he finds the carpet dry as always. A lump lays in the bed and from the snores sounding throughout the room he can tell it’s his father. Quietly he closes the door not wanting to disturb him but then he takes the stairs two at a time to go down to the kitchen. He drags the trash can from under the sink and starts digging through it not caring how gross it is to do so. There’s no sign of the node. Nor does his throat hurt at all.

He presses his back against the nearest wall and sinks to the floor. In doing so he smacks his arm against the wall and winces at the unwelcome amount of pain. He looks down to see what exactly is there when he sees it. A handprint burned into his skin where the figure in his dream had grabbed him. Brushing his fingers over the spot he feels his stomach twist. Noya drops his head into both hands and grips at his hair. How the hell could that dream be real but also just a dream at the same time? Squeezing his eyes shut he begins to rock himself back and forth.

What the fuck was happening to him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me way longer than I'd like to admit to even think about writing and even longer than that to actually figure out how to write it. I don't quite know how to feel about this chapter but I appreciate your patience with me and your willingness to keep reading! Thank you so much!!


	7. Chapter 7

_ NOVEMBER 11TH, 2016 -  _ **_DAY SIX_ **

* * *

 

Nervous eyes dart around as he tugs at the sleeves of his uniform jacket that’s hidden beneath his raincoat. Noya has never been happier for it to be cold and rainy than he was today. He could get away with covering the strange mark on his arm. He felt jittery. Every little noise caused him to jump. Every movement in the corner of his eye had him ready to scream. He’d almost stayed home but he had to go to school. Had to get out of the house. The weekend had made him feel anything but at home within the building.

He ducks his head as he moves onto school grounds. The last thing Noya wants is to run into someone that knows him this morning. Quickly he moves into the right building and stands inside a moment as he shakes some of the excess water off his jacket. He slides it off, thinking he should be safe enough to get to the second floor without trouble. Swallowing thickly, he continuously peers around him to make sure there isn’t anyone there. That no one is following him. He nearly jumps out of his skin when Tanaka stops him just as he steps onto the second-year’s floor. His best friend stares at him with wide-eyes for a moment before they soften and fill with concern.

“...You okay, Noya?”

He swallows against the sudden lump in his throat. He wants to tell his best friend everything. Tell him the weird and horrific weekend he’d endured. But Tanaka wouldn’t believe him. It was too crazy for anyone to believe. So instead he manages a small smile and a nod before ducking around him. He’s sure the other had something important to tell him but he didn’t want to hear it. Instead he wanted to get through the day and go home as soon as possible.

All throughout the morning he found concentrating hard. He couldn’t bring himself to even pretend he was focusing on the lessons. His fingers gripped tightly onto his pen and swirled around in his workbook. It did nothing but scratch angry black marks through the layers of paper that lay atop the desk. He couldn’t stop himself from looking around the room every so often. The way things cast shadows around the room made him feel uneasy. Every time the teacher shifted or one of the students moved to do something he found himself flickering his gaze in that direction. At one point he nearly let out a scream when he swore the figure from his dream was sitting at one of the empty desks in the corner of the room.

When the signal for lunch finally came, he watched his classmates filter from their desks either to join each other around someone else’s or to leave the room all together. He stayed planted in his seat though. He wasn’t hungry and he wasn’t up for social interaction. Besides, it was easy to see everywhere around him in his seat at the back of the room. He didn’t have to put in any guess work about what could be lurking behind him if there wasn’t any space behind him.

The lunch hour comes and goes and it’s back into lessons. Noya considers himself lucky that none of his friends attempted to find him. Especially when he’s sure Tanaka has said something to them about the incident in the hall. Whatever the reason he felt grateful and merely went back to concentrating on not concentrating. He’s about halfway through the afternoon when he feels a cold chill run up his spine. A shudder passes through him and he tugs his jacket closer to him to try and ward it off. But it doesn’t subside. Instead it gets worse. To the point where he’s physically starting to shake. He looks behind him and lets out a shriek as he jumps out of his desk when he sees the same figure behind him that’s been haunting him for days. He crumples to the floor staring at the spot but he looks away for a moment when he hears his name called by the teacher. When he looks back the figure is gone.

“Nishinoya-san? Is there a problem?”

The teacher speaking again breaks him from whatever trance he’d been in and he pulls himself off the floor, brushing any dirt off his uniform.

“U-uh...n-no sensei.”

But the look on his face must say something else. She’s quick to dismiss him to the nurse's office, writing a note explaining why he’s out of class and handing it to him on his way out. He stuffs the small note into his pocket and hugs himself as he makes his way down the hallway. Normally he’d be worried about how people were perceiving him but today he couldn’t care less. He takes the stairs slowly, arms tugging his uniform jacket closer to him as he moves. When he gets to the bottom floor and steps outside, he can’t will himself to go to the nurse. She wasn’t going to be able to help. All she’d do is tell him that he needed sleep. But sleep was the last thing he wanted right now. His eyes darted around looking for somewhere he could safely go for the rest of the afternoon and they landed on the gym. That would work.

Before going there he stops in the locker room, changing into his usual attire for practice. Though when he looks down and spots the mark on his arm he rethinks it and grabs his volleyball jacket and tugs it on before packing his stuff up. He makes his way to the gym after and for a moment nothing but calm washes over him. The gym would always be a second home to him. So though he’d been having a rough time in his actual home, this place felt secure. Felt normal. That didn’t stop him from checking every single corner or every supposed movement he saw while he set up the net and got out one of the ball bins. Then he started warm ups. Laps around the gym, stretches to make sure he wouldn’t get sore, even floor slide drills. Anything and everything he could do himself, he did. It distracted him, made it easy for him to settle into his normal state of being.

It wasn’t long before the school day ended and he was joined by his teammates. Most of them looked at him strangely seeing him in there having already set things up and in the midst of various warm up routines. Even though he’d done most of them at least ten times by that point he figured it couldn’t hurt. He offered a smile to them all, a quick hello, and went back to it. He didn’t see their stares, their worried glances. Asahi and Tanaka in particular followed him with their eyes. Sure he acted like normal but there wasn’t the same enthusiasm in his eyes. The way his body moved wasn’t his usual fluid nature either. Something was off and both of them hated seeing it.

Slowly they all joined in on the warm ups and when Ukai showed up they started a practice match. Noya tried his best to act normal. And for a while it worked. He was able to catch the balls before they hit the ball, able to even do a few of the special sets that he’d practiced with the others. But all good things come to an end.

He was running to catch a ball when that figure flashed in his peripheral vision. Instantly his gaze snaps in that direction instead of where he’d been looking before. There’s nothing there. Instead he hears the smack of the ball hitting the court and he groans, reaching up to ruffle at his hair.

“Sorry guys,” he mutters.

“Ah, Noya don’t mind. It happens. Besides it’s just a practice match,” Daichi reminded.

But Asahi’s eyes were trained on his boyfriend. There was something about the way his attention had just snapped away from the ball. It was so unusual for him. Not once since they’d met had he ever seen Noya not pay attention to where the ball was going. The only time it ever hit the court was if his reaction time was off by the slightest. Never because he was distracted. He looks over and shares a look with Tanaka who had met his gaze. Silently he nods, a reassurance that he’d talk to him after practice. Ryu nods back before turning back to the game and shouting about ‘one more’ to get his team riled up.

Practice continued in a similar fashion. There would be a couple plays where Noya was fine and he’d be catching the ball no matter where it went. Then others where he’d get distracted and act like a nervous mouse. It made every other person in the gym worried. None of them had ever seen him act that way before. By the end of practice they were all on edge watching him miss more and more.

“Alright we’ll call that an end to practice today, guys.”

Everyone nods and starts to clean up. Noya stands there where he frowns at where the last ball had smacked into the floor. How had he allowed that to happen? And not just once but multiple times. He doesn’t know how long he stands there staring at the spot but when he hears his name he looks up to notice everything clean and most of the group gone. Asahi stands there with a small frown on his lips.

“Ah sorry Asahi.”

Noya jogs over, grabbing his bag from the floor where he’d left it, pausing only to tug his track pants on and change his shoes before they exit the gym. They walk in silence as they move down the sidewalk. Once again he’s looking in every direction he possibly can. There’s an uneasiness creeping up his spine again. The relative comfort he’d felt in the gym (even if it had been interrupted multiple times) was completely gone now. Here in the open he felt the need to run as fast as he could to get inside. Which was stupid. Inside was no more helpful than outside. And he was certainly in no rush to get home at the moment. He can feel Asahi’s eyes on him as they walk and as they pass their usual parting place, only for Asahi to follow him, he sighs.

“What? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Because something is wrong.”

Of course he’d know something is wrong. Noya could put up the best front in the world and Asahi would know something was wrong. Not that he’d been doing a great job at putting up a front today but that didn’t matter. The point was there was no lying to the taller teen. But that wasn’t going to stop him.

“Nah nothing is wrong. Why would you even-”

“Cut it out, Yuu.”

Instantly Noya shuts his mouth. Asahi never used his first name. Unless he was annoyed with him. He darts his gaze up at him before looking back to their surroundings, doing a once over before staring ahead. He doesn’t want to tell him. He’d just say he’s crazy. Anyone would say he was crazy. Hell he even thought he was. The things that had happened to him the last couple days? There was no way that was normal! Obviously he needed help but he refused to have anyone, especially his boyfriend, say anything of the sort to him. Swallowing, he keeps his eyes towards the ground.

“Asahi, I’m fine.”

“No you aren’t.”

At this point they are on his street and Noya picks his speed up. It doesn’t do much, all Asahi has to do is widen his strides a little to keep pace. When they get to his door, the other grabs his arm and spins him around. There is nothing but concern and worry splayed across his face.

“I’m worried about you. You’ve been acting weird all week. If something is wrong talk to me. There’s no reason you can’t.”

_ There are plenty of reasons I can’t. _

The thought rings out as he shakes his head. Noya gazes up at him before darting his gaze around. In the process he spots it. The figure in white with long black hair. The one that he’d seen that night in the rain. The one he swears was in his dream the night before. Quickly he attempts to tug his arm from Asahi but the other refuses to let go. Letting out a frustrated huff, he tugs his arm free from his jacket sleeve and turns his body to push the door open. Forgetting that that was the arm with his burn.

“...Yuu…”

Noya looks up at Asahi and then follows his gaze, swallowing thickly when he sees what he’s looking at.

“What-”

“Don’t, Asahi. Just...don’t.”

Before the taller can say a single word the door is slammed in his face and locked. Noya doesn’t even risk looking out the window to see if his boyfriend had left and instead sliding his other arm from his jacket and dropping it to the floor with his shoes and bag. Slowly, he drags himself from the front door and up the stairs. His entire body shakes as he goes, the dream from the night before still vivid in his mind. As he steps into his room he lets out a strangled yelp. He rubs at his eyes hoping that what he’s seeing will go away but instead he finds it still there. Against his better judgement, as his stomach twists to the point of vomiting, he walks forward. His fingers brush against the wall and he instantly recoils. There, in his normally plain grey wall, was a tree. Burned into plaster and the paint. How had that even happened? Especially when it wasn’t there that morning. His skin begins to crawl and he spins around to examine his room at the feeling. Nothing is there, at least nothing he can see. Turning to look back at the tree he finds it gone. Blinking, he reaches out, fingers finding nothing but the same smooth surface that was always there.

His stomach churns again as he backs up until the backs of his knees hit his bed and he sits on it. Slowly, he drags himself to the center of the bed, knees drawn to his chest as his eyes stay focused on the wall. He blinks, rubs at them, turns away and back again. But he can’t make it reappear.

He drops his face into his knees as tears start to slide down his face. He didn’t understand why this was happening to him. Why he was suddenly going insane or why he was falling apart at the seams. All he knew is that he wanted it to stop. He’d give anything for it to stop.

His body lays back and sinks into his mattress. He tugs the blankets over his head and curls into a ball. The exhaustion in his body starts to tug at his mind but he refuses to close his eyes, refused to sleep. Because sleep just brought more nightmares. And he dealt with enough of those while being awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in two days? What is going on?! Though it was honestly just because I'm feeling inspired. One more part and a little epilogue before this story is finished! I hope you stay tuned.


	8. Chapter 8

_NOVEMBER 12TH, 2016 -_ **_DAY SEVEN_ **

* * *

 Sleep had come. Albeit reluctantly. Noya’s eyes had finally slipped shut due to the pure, overwhelming exhaustion. When he finally roused himself from sleep the next morning he was gasping for air, his body drenched in a layer of sweat. Unlike the night before he can’t remember a detail of the dream, or rather nightmare, that he’d been having. Bile rises in the back of his throat but he merely swallows it back down. His eyes turn to see the clock by his bedside. It reads out _11:30 AM_ on its face in bright red. Normally he’d be in a panic, rushing around his room to make it to at least his afternoon classes. But today he decides it’s not worth it. Instead he slides further under the covers and lays there, eyes focused yet unfocused on the ceiling above him.

After a few minutes he comes to realization that his entire being, as well as the sheets he’s on, are started to get cold from the sweat soaked through them. A shiver runs up his spine and he’s quick to stand and strip his bed down. It seems so meaningless to bother washing his bedspread, for reasons he can’t explain, but realizes that to even attempt to sleep the next night he’d need cleaned sheets that didn’t feel gross. Or smell.

Carting everything downstairs, he moves to the back of the house where his father had installed the washer and dryer set up. Once he’s shoved everything in, arranging it into a neat set of rings to keep it from spinning out and to keep it from not washing everything, he adds the detergent and hits start. Sighing, he looks up at the window above the set up and frowns. Raining again. Normally he enjoyed rain. Asahi and he often walked through it, Noya jumping into the puddles getting soaked while Asahi scolded him about how he’d get sick. Looking at it now, however, he finds himself wanting to do nothing more than hide away. He has no will to grab his boots and rush outside.

Instead he makes his way to the kitchen to make something to eat. The motions are so ingrained in his body and mind that as he moves around preparing his usual breakfast, he doesn’t even notice. His hands and feet do all the work while his brain his miles away. He doesn’t even realize he’s finished until he’s sitting down with his plate. Blinking, he takes a moment to wonder how he didn’t burn himself or catch anything on fire. He decides it isn’t worth worrying over. A few bites into his meal however he feels a wave of nausea wash over him. In an instant he’s up and dashing upstairs towards the bathroom. Leaning over the toilet he lets the food he’d just eaten come back up. Even when his stomach is empty he kneels, heaving. When he finally can sit back, he leans against the opposite wall, face covered with sweat and the bitter taste of bile lingering in his mouth. Noya staggers to his feet and brings himself over to the sink, gripping at the edges of the counter until his knuckles turn white. He turns the water on, making quick work of brushing his teeth to get rid of the taste. Then carefully, he splashes the cool water on his face.

Lifting his head, he gazes at his reflection only to see something lingering behind him. Letting out a scream, he spins, stumbling backwards and tripping over his own feet, landing in the middle of the floor. Frantic eyes search the spot he swore he saw someone standing but finds nothing. Twisting his head all around he continues to find nothing. For a few minutes he sits there, afraid to stand up in case whoever it was is lingering behind the edge of the door. Swallowing thickly, he manages to force himself to his feet and moves around to the other side of the doorway to find himself still very much alone. A shiver runs up his spine before he spins to stare at the sink. The water that had just been running was no longer doing so, having ceased completely on it’s own.

“No...n-no that can’t be right...you shut it off when you fell. Y-yeah that’s it….”

The words aren’t reassuring however when he notices the handle still turned in the direction for water to be released. Leaning forward, he quickly turns it back into the off position before he steps backwards out of the bathroom. Without looking anywhere else, he fast walks to his bedroom and slams the door shut before settling into the corner farthest away. Pulling his legs to his chest, he presses his face into his knees and lets out a sob.

Why was this happening to him?

* * *

 

Asahi was worried sick.

Noya hadn’t showed up to school nor had he sent a text. Granted, the brunet was aware that his boyfriend was having a strange week. The last couple of days especially had been rather disturbing. He can still vividly picture the burn he’d seen on the other’s arm the night before when he’d followed him home. He knew it didn’t have to do with his dad. Noya’s father was rarely home and when he was he was asleep. Plus the man didn’t have a hurtful bone in his body. Not after his wife had passed away. So what could have caused the strange burn?

He’s shaken from his thoughts my a hand clamping down on his shoulder. Startled, he turns his head and spots Tanaka beside him.

“...what’s up?”

“Have you seen Noya today? He hasn’t answered my texts or calls and I’m starting to get worried. He hasn’t looked good this last week.”

Ah, so Asahi wasn’t the only one to notice. Not that it surprised him. Tanaka and Noya had been best friends before Asahi had ever even entered the picture.

“No I haven’t. He hasn’t answered me either. I’m gonna swing by his place after practice I think.”

Tanaka nods. For a minute it looks like he’s going to ask to join but instead he squeezes Asahi’s shoulder as he looks up at the ace.

“...tell him to give me a call when you see him, yeah? I...I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

Asahi gives him a nod before the two enter the gym together. Practice was going to be long.

~~~

“Alright! Let’s call it a night and clean up.”

The team all let out a resounding ‘yes sir!’ to Ukai’s words before the squeaking of shoes turned from chasing after the ball to sweeping the floors. Asahi helped Daichi with taking down the net, helping to neatly fold it up and carry it to the back room. He was quieter than usual as he grabbed a broom and helped to sweep the floors as well. Kageyama and Hinata tended to fight over who could clean faster more than actually clean. Once the gym was neat, Ukai cleared them to head off and change. Asahi was the first out of the gym and then the first to finish getting ready to leave. With a small wave goodnight to everyone, he makes eye contact with Tanaka and nods in his direction before he ducks out.

* * *

 

The sun had long set, yet Noya stayed curled up in his position in the corner of his room. He hadn’t moved in hours. His muscles screamed in agony at keeping the same position for so long. But it didn’t faze him. Instead he found himself actually tightening the hold he held on his legs.

His stomach is in knots. The hairs on the back of his neck are standing at attention. Goosebumps cover every inch of his skin. Yet he can’t think of any reason why. Something about the air feels off to him. Maybe it’s from being inside his room in one spot all day. The air could just feel stale, stuffy. Or maybe this is what it always felt like when sitting in one spot. Maybe it was normal and he was having a weird reaction because he was always up. Always moving.

He’s quick to shake his head at the thought. When needed Noya was in fact able to sit still for extended periods of time. It wasn’t often but he’d done it enough to know that this wasn’t how he should feel. Finally, he forces himself to lift his head. His neck protests, causing him to wince at the pain that radiates due to the stiffness of the muscles. Blinking a few times he allows his eyes to adjust to the darkness of his bedroom. He figures he should just go to bed. Might as well when there wasn’t much else to do after all. And he couldn’t just sit in this corner all night no matter how much he wanted to.

Forcing himself to stand, he lets out a loud groan, wincing as he stretches all of his muscles out. When he feels he can move without being in pain every step, he cautiously moves to the bed and then curses under his breath. He forgot he had to dry his bedspread before he could even think of actually going to bed. Maybe he should have listened to Asahi about getting a second set.

_“I never bother sleeping in my bed so why should I bother getting a second set when I can just wash this one?”_

Man how he was kicking himself in the butt for that one now. A lump appears in his throat as he stares at the door. The knot in his stomach tightens but he forces himself to walk towards it and open it carefully. Casting his eyes around the hallway he deems it safe and creeps his way out of his room and towards the stairs. The lump in his throat seems to almost thicken and he swallows around it as he moves down the stairs.

As his feet hit the landing, he hears a loud series of static coming from the direction of the living room. He freezes, his entire body going still as he listens to it and sees the light from it moving over the parts of the living room he can see. It gives it almost a ghostly glow and sends a shiver down his spine. Against his better judgement (seriously when was he going to learn?) he moves his way towards the archway.

“Dad?”

Peeking around the corner he doesn’t see anyone in the room. Just the ghostly static covering the entire room. Shakily, he moves his way into the room and uses the remote to turn the TV off. Once it is he stares at it a moment before turning to leave. Only for the TV to turn back on. The static is still there. Frowning, he moves over in front of the tv and pushes the power button on it. It’s off for all of a second before it springs to life again. Feeling frustrated and beyond insane after the last few days, he reaches behind the TV and tugs the plug from the wall before kicking at the screen. All that succeeds in doing is hurting his foot but he pays it no mind.

“Stop fucking messing with me!”

He doesn’t know who or what he’s screaming at. But he can’t stop himself. He’s on the brink of tears just standing there. Everything the last week has been so insane he should have checked himself into the asylum at the edge of the city.

When the TV stays black, he feels like perhaps he was imagining things again. Or that the electronic was just malfunctioning. Either way, he turns and makes his way back towards the front hall so that he can actually go and switch his laundry over. Just as he makes it to the archway he hears it. The static. Without thinking, he turns around and marches over, dropping to his knees and grasping both sides of the television set.

“What do you want from me?!”

His voice cracks and tears start to trail down his cheeks. He hates this. Hates the feeling of being week, of losing all control. As he stares at the static, tears still pouring, it switches to a scene. His blood runs cold then. It’s familiar. The well. He’d seen it in the video that he had tried to watch with Asahi. But that couldn’t be, right? He’d returned the film the night after they’d watched it on his way home from practice. That’s when he sees it. A figure crawling it’s way out of the well. A scream is pulled from his throat as he throws himself backwards, trying to get as far away from whatever was going on as possible. It works until he finds his back pressed against the kotatsu.

He watches with eyes struck wide with horror as the figure starts to crawl through the screen. It strikes him then that the figure is familiar. He saw it the other night in the rain. Saw it in his dream. It was the apparition that was always in the corner of his eye as he tried to move throughout his days. Noya does his best to scramble to his feet but it’s already too late. The figure has made it’s way through the screen and is creeping towards him, water dripping along the carpet as it goes. The moment he manages to get some footing he finds the figure in front of his face before he can push himself upwards.

* * *

 The walk to Noya’s house was relatively quiet and getting there hadn’t taken long. Asahi could get there blindfolded in a snowstorm if he wanted to. He raises his fist to knock at the front door when he arrives only to hear a scream ring out. He gives a pause before he bangs on the door.

“Noya?”

When there isn’t an answer, Asahi attempts to get the door but it’s locked. He looks around trying to remember where the spare key is when he decides it'll take too long. Without caring about repercussions, he throws his shoulder into the door. It doesn’t budge at first so he repeats the motion. Once, twice, three times. The last time he manages to bust the door open. He turns towards the living room where he swore the scream originated from, only to stop full force in his tracks.

The only sound to be heard then is a scream.

* * *

  _NOVEMBER 13th, 2016_

* * *

  **ANOTHER DEATH STRIKES KARASUNO HIGH**

_Just a week after the deaths of former students_ _Kurokawa Hiroki and Hidemi Tashiro, Karasuno is struck with another death. Nishinoya Yuu, libero for the boys volleyball team, was found dead in his home last night by his father. There has been no word about how he died by police though we do have reports that Azumane Asahi, boyfriend of Nishinoya and ace of the same team, was also found at the scene. There is word that he is being transferred to Miyagi Institute to be looked over and examined but nothing further has been told by police. From what we do know, this incident seems to have them puzzled, though it was told by friends of Nishinoya that he acted strange before he died much like Kurokawa and Hidemi. Is there anyway these deaths could be connected? Who knows for sure? For now, please keep those close to both boys in your thoughts._

Tanaka’s hands shook as he held the paper article in his hand. Takeda had given it to him that morning when he’d seen him come into school. He’d merely taken it and gripped at it as if it were a lifeline. Instead of heading to his class, he’d made his way to the gym. He shed his shoes, moving inside with just his socks on before sitting against the wall. Before him he could almost picture Noya running around catching serves and yelling out names for his moves. The thought brings tears to his eyes and before he knows it he’s sobbing into his knees as he tugs them to his chest.

He doesn’t know how long he’s there before he feels a gentle hand on his shoulder. Looking up, Tanaka meets the gazes of Daichi and Sugawara. He doesn’t even bother to wipe at the tears still streaming down his face. Instead he avoids their gaze and stares out at the empty gym.

“...I’m going to find out.”

He doesn’t wait for an answer as his eyes narrow.

“I’m going to find out what happened to my best friend and Asahi.”

Daichi and Sugawara stay quiet, the former squeezing the second-years shoulder where his hand was still resting.

“We’ll help,” he mutters, looking up at Suga to see him nodding in agreement. “...we want to know what happened too.”

Tanaka sniffs, nodding his head before pulling his knees tighter to his chest. Whatever it took, he’d find out what happened.


	9. Chapter 9

**EPILOGUE**

* * *

_NOVEMBER 20th, 2016_

* * *

The building stood tall before them, almost looming. Tanaka stared up at it as a shiver ran down his spine.

“...is this a good idea? The police even said he wasn’t giving them anything about what happened that night,” Suga pipes up as he, too, stares at the building.

“I have to know. And maybe...maybe he’ll respond to us,” the second-year responds.

Daichi says nothing, instead stepping forward and leading the three of them up the stairs of the asylum. A couple of days before hand, days after the incident had occurred, they had looked into things that Noya had done in the days leading up to his death. When it didn’t give them much, they went back a little further, looking into the past week. Tanaka had dug around his room and found a receipt from the movie store that Noya was a frequent visitor to. When he’d stopped in, he was told that he’d taken out a film that had managed to find it’s way into the shelves that someone had copied over. The owner had given it over gladly, saying he was going to throw it out anyway. The next day, Tanaka had called Daichi and Sugawara over so they could watch it together. Three heads were better than one, right? Of course, the video hadn’t made any sense. A jumble of images and scenes that didn’t match at all. They’d realized the owner wasn’t kidding when he said it was just a copied over sort of deal.

So here they were, walking through the front doors of the asylum to visit the only person who might have an inkling into what happened.

Daichi steps forward, as Tanaka and Suga sit back, to ask about Asahi, inquiring about seeing him. Within a few minutes the three were being taken down a hallway and settled into a room that was too clean for their liking.

“It’s like a hospital in here,” Tanaka says.

It’s an obvious statement, given the asylum was much like a hospital, but the boy hadn’t imagined that it’d be as clean as one. The room was so white it was giving him a headache merely being inside. They waited a good ten minutes before the familiar figure of their friend came into the room. Though familiar may be an overstatement of things. He was hunched over, hair hanging in greasy strands around his head, skin paler than they’d ever seen as he sat before them. It wasn’t something any of them ever thought they’d see.

Sugawara nods at the staff member that brought him in and they quietly close the door, taking a stance outside. The three boys turn to look at Asahi, but Tanaka is the one to lean forward to speak.

“...Asahi, I...we...need to know what happened.”

There’s no answer to his words. Not a word, not a movement. It’s strange but given the circumstances Tanaka doesn’t say anything about it. Instead he tries again.

“Do you remember what happened? Did…” he pauses, swallowing the sudden lump in his throat, “...did you see how Noya died?”

Again, silence. Suga and Daichi shift around behind him. It’s obvious the two are uncomfortable seeing their friend and teammate in such a state. They don’t say anything though, allowing Tanaka to talk since it was his idea to come to talk to Asahi in the first place.

“Asahi...how did he die? Please.” There’s a crack in his voice on the word as he reaches forward. “We...I need to know.”

With those words he rests his hand on the brunet’s arm and squeezes gently. That finally manages to get him to stir. He raises his gaze to look at Tanaka. The brown of his eyes is dull, nothing like the warmth that had encased them not too long ago.

“And you will. She’ll show you.”

All three boys opposite of the third-year look between each other.

“...who will show us?” Daichi manages to ask.

Asahi shifts, grabbing Tanaka’s hand and turns it over.

“Not now.” Folding down his thumb, he moves his hands away to settle them in front of himself again. “Four days.”

With that Asahi goes silent again and Tanaka stares down at his hand currently displaying four fingers. It’d been three days since they’d watched the video. Three days since the phone call had come in at the end of it to speak to them. Tanaka jumps up from his seat, knocking it over as he rips the door open and shoves past the orderly. He can vaguely hear Sugawara apologizing and telling the orderly that they would be leaving but doesn’t pay much attention after that. Instead, he makes a beeline towards the exit and pushes the doors open. The fresh air feels good as he sucks it into his lungs. He jumps down the stairs two at a time and then stares around as if answers are going to be found and plucked out of thin air.

“What the hell, Tanaka? Why’d you rush out like that?” Daichi asks, running up behind him.

Tanaka turns, eyeing him as well as Suga who had also joined them.

“Do you remember what happened at the end of video? The call we got?”

It’s like a light switch goes off in the other’s heads. But there is also a bit of confliction on their faces.

“That wasn’t more than-”

“It wasn’t a prank.”

“Tanaka…”

“Daichi I swear. If I thought for a second it was a prank, I’d just let it go. But it’s not a prank. It’s not. Now tell me, do you remember what the voice said?”

The two third-years look at each other before sighing. Suga nods.

“Seven days.”

Tanaka hums, turning on his heel as he makes his way down the sidewalk towards the bus stop.

“Exactly. Seven days. And it’s been three.”

The other two fall in step beside him, Daichi raising an eyebrow in question though he’s sure his friend doesn’t notice it.

“And what exactly does that mean, Ryu?”

“It means,” he says, coming to a full stop as he looks up at the sky, “it means we have four more days to figure out what happened to Noya. Or we meet the same fate.”

His words seem to bounce around his friend’s heads as he starts moving towards the bus stop again. Whether they believe him or not, he doesn’t care. Tanaka made up his mind the day he found out about his best friend’s death. He was going to figure out how the hell it happened.

And he doesn’t care what it takes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAH! I finally finished! I'm so happy that this is officially done but also sort of sad because I really liked this AU. I didn't have to write the epilogue but I wanted to because when I first brought this up my friend and I discussed Tanaka, Daichi, and Suga sort of falling into a similar fate. Whether they get out of Noya's fate is up to you I guess. Thank you so much to everyone who has kept up with this, waited patiently for chapters, left kudos, left comments, and over all just those that stayed until this very last chapter! I appreciate every single one of you!! ❤❤❤
> 
> [ also not entirely sure how pleased I am with these last two chapters but!! I hope you enjoy them!! ]


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